Messy Liberation: Feminist Conversations about Politics and Pop Culture

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/In this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dive into the tone-deaf spectacle of the Met Gala, unpacking what celebrity wealth displays reveal about economic inequality and performative activism. They also explore the myth of meritocracy in higher education, the emotional labor of parenting during high-stakes testing, and how to find joy and rest when everything feels heavy.In This Episode, We Get Into:Why the Met Gala feels like a "let them eat cake" moment during skyrocketing inflation and wealth inequalityThe difference between art as subversion and art as "sucking the dick of power"Performative activism vs. real protest (looking at you, Sarah Paulson's dollar bill accessory)How billionaires like Jeff Bezos hosting the Met Gala undercuts any claim of artistic rebellionThe myth that going to Harvard (or other elite schools) is the secret to wealthHow legacy admissions and cronyism maintain class hierarchies in higher educationSupporting kids through stressful standardized testing without reinforcing toxic achievement cultureProcessing grief, finding dopamine hits in gamified productivity, and giving yourself permission to restThe slow, steady growth of creative projects you do just because you love themWhy we keep showing up for these conversations (and thank you for listening)🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/In this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dive into why mental health days matter more than ever, and why the world won't stop demanding productivity just because you're feeling overwhelmed. They discuss how to recognize when you need rest, navigate guilt around taking time off, challenge capitalist expectations around constant productivity, and build community care into your life even when our culture doesn't make it easy. If you've ever felt like you're supposed to just brush your teeth and go to work while the world is on fire, this conversation is for you.In This Episode, We Get Into:• Why the world feels heavier as we age, and whether things are actually worse now or if we're just more aware• How neuroscience explains why young people make different decisions (spoiler: their frontal lobes aren't fully developed yet)• The real cost of living in a culture that expects "business as usual" no matter what's happening in the world• Why mental health days aren't just about rest; they're about resistance to capitalist productivity culture• The invisible labor of managing a household and why "partnership" doesn't automatically mean equality• How to ask for help even when you feel like you shouldn't have toWhy we've lost the village model of community care, and how to start rebuilding it• Setting boundaries around work, rest, and what you're actually capable of in a given moment• The difference between rest as recovery and rest as a regular practice• Why you need community care whether you're partnered up or notResources Mentioned:• "How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community" by Mia Birdsong: https://amzn.to/41U8M8h• "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp: https://beckymollenkamp.com/book/🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown get into the often-overlooked politics of travel — from queer safety and fat-body accessibility to the colonial mindset baked into Western travel culture. They explore how identity shapes every aspect of a trip, why travel is both a privilege and a political act, and what it actually looks like to show up in someone else's space with humility, curiosity, and respect.In This Episode, We Get Into:How Taina and her wife navigate travel as queer, fat-bodied, disabled women of color — including the research they do before choosing a destinationThe exhausting labor of traveling with multiple marginalized identities: wheelchair assistance, medications, masking, claustrophobia, seatbelt extenders, and moreWhy Europe — despite its appeal — can be deeply inaccessible for fat and disabled travelers, and why the Americans with Disabilities Act is actually one of the US's most important pieces of legislationThe colonial mindset embedded in how Americans (especially wealthy white Americans) show up abroad — from demanding McDonald's in Peru to being obnoxiously loud in spaces that have different cultural normsHow the cost of air travel continues to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots, and what it means when only the most elite get to see the worldThe difference between curating your travel experience and showing up as an entitled American tourist who expects to be accommodatedBecky's life-changing high school trip to the USSR — and why she believes international travel at a formative age is one of the greatest gifts a young person can receiveTaina's experience at a travel company in LA, and some of the most entitled client behavior she witnessed firsthandWhy "different" is a better word than "weird" — and how Becky is teaching her 10-year-old son to navigate cultural difference with curiosity instead of judgmentHow Hawaiians and other communities are pushing back against tourism — and why some destinations are now off Becky's bucket list entirely🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/What do you do when someone you know is accused of causing harm, and it doesn’t match your experience of them?In this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky and Taina dive into the messy, uncomfortable space between personal truth and collective reality. From celebrity accountability to corporate boycotts, they unpack how nuance gets lost in a world that craves hot takes and binary thinking.This conversation explores the tension between believing harm, honoring lived experience, and navigating systems that are fundamentally flawed. Because the truth is: most things aren’t either/or—they’re both/and.💥 Discussed in This Episode:• Why saying “that wasn’t my experience” can be harmful—and when it isn’t• The difference between gaslighting and sharing a personal perspective• How power, platform, and identity shape accountability• The reality that most people do know someone who has caused harm• Why personal experience ≠ universal truth• The concept of lowercase truth vs. capital-T Truth• How binary thinking limits our ability to engage with complexity• The role of systemic racism in how harm and accountability are perceived• Why calling the police isn’t always a safe or just solution• What harm reduction and community accountability can look like• Cancel culture vs. actual accountability• Why cancel culture may be more appropriate for corporations than individuals• The limits of boycotts—and how capitalism restricts our choices• The privilege baked into “ethical consumption” conversations• Why no one is fully outside harmful systems (yes, even you)• Holding people accountable without flattening their humanity or talent• The danger of moral superiority in activism spaces🧠 Key Takeaways:• You can hold multiple truths at once, even when they conflict• Believing harm doesn’t require abandoning critical thinking• Your experience with someone is real, but it’s not the whole picture• Systems (like capitalism and policing) shape outcomes more than individual intent• There is no “perfect” ethical choice under capitalism, only more informed ones• Accountability should focus on repair and harm reduction—not just punishmentNuance isn’t weakness—it’s necessary for justice🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/In this episode of Messy Liberation, feminist coaches and best friends Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dig into the corporate greed crisis, from the Starbucks founder fleeing a state income tax to Oprah's "let them eat cake" energy at Paris Fashion Week. With a sharp intersectional lens, they connect wealth hoarding, stolen women's labor, a broken tax system, and the urgent need to build real community as an act of resistance.In This Episode, We Get Into:The Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announcing he's leaving Seattle for Florida after Washington state passed a new income tax — and what that says about corporate greed in AmericaOprah's out-of-touch social media presence during Paris Fashion Week while the world is literally on fire (including oil refinery disasters in Iran)The jaw-dropping data on CEO pay vs. worker pay — a 1,000% increase since 1978, with top CEOs now making ~285–300x more than their average employeesHow corporations exploit crises (like COVID-era supply chain disruptions) to normalize price gouging and shrinkflationThe real history of International Women's Day as a labor movement — not a "girlboss" celebration — and how women's unpaid and underpaid labor has always been systematically stolenThe pay gap breakdown: 78 cents on the dollar for white women, even less for Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Latina women — and how women in care fields don't even have a comparable male wage to measure againstHow the U.S. tax system is deliberately made incomprehensible, who benefits from that confusion, and why 1 in 5 Fortune 500 companies paid zero federal taxes between 2018–2022The red state/blue state tax welfare dynamic — and why blue state taxpayers are effectively subsidizing the tax-dodging rich who move to FloridaWhy U.S. hyper-individualism keeps the kindling from igniting — and how building real community is the counter to late-stage capitalismResource:How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/Taina Brown and Becky Mollenkamp reflect on the recent State of the Union address, discussing its implications and the notable actions of representatives like Al Green. They delve into the pervasive issue of misogyny in society, exploring its manifestations and the cultural commentary surrounding media representations. The conversation also touches on personal anecdotes, humor, and the importance of diverse perspectives in storytelling, particularly in film and television.Discussed in this episode:• The State of the Union often lacks substance and engagement.• Al Green's actions highlight the importance of making 'good trouble.'• Misogyny is deeply ingrained in societal structures and needs to be addressed.• Media representation matters; diverse voices lead to richer narratives.• Personal anecdotes can provide humor and relatability in serious discussions.• The impact of cultural commentary on societal perceptions is significant.• Women directors bring unique perspectives to storytelling.• The conversation around aging and women's health is often overlooked.• Humor can be a coping mechanism in challenging times.• Celebrating personal milestones can bring joy amidst societal issues.Chapters00:00 State of the Union Reflections02:38 Misogyny and Its Manifestations05:26 The Slippery Slope of Toxic Thinking08:18 The Intersection of Racism and Misogyny11:01 The Role of Women in Film13:54 Anticipating New Cinematic Releases21:14 Exploring New Narratives in Media24:12 The Importance of Diverse Perspectives28:36 Cultural Reflections in Modern Storytelling33:49 Navigating Perimenopause and Aging39:37 Humor and Relationships: A Personal Touch🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/In this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown start with the cultural moment — unpacking the Bad Bunny halftime performance — and end up somewhere deeper: a conversation about care, creativity, and what it means to live inside systems that don’t value our humanity.They explore revenge bedtime procrastination, why so many of us push the things we love to the edges of our day, and how capitalism teaches us to dismiss anything that doesn’t generate income. Becky shares a personal story about caring for her injured dog and the emotional labor that often goes unseen — especially in relationships — while Taina reflects on creative work, attention, and honoring what matters.Together, they ask big questions:• What if hobbies aren’t frivolous?• What if care work is real work?• What does it look like to honor our emotional lives instead of minimizing them?• And how do we navigate relationships when we experience the world differently?This conversation weaves culture, feminism, mental health, and lived experience into an honest exploration of being human in a productivity-obsessed world.If you’ve ever stayed up too late chasing a moment of freedom… felt unseen in your care work… or wondered why rest feels so hard to claim — this one’s for you.🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/From neighbors shoveling driveways to the quiet labor of holding community spaces, this episode explores how care becomes invisible, and how naming it can be radical. Becky shares a story about hosting invitation-only “secret salons” and grappling with the discomfort of being compensated for community-building work. Taina reflects on moments when emotional labor was unexpectedly acknowledged—and how powerful that recognition can be.The conversation expands into privilege, power, and relationships: what it means when someone checks their privilege out loud, how that can change the nervous system in a room, and why pretending we’re “past” bias is far more dangerous than admitting it exists. They also talk about gendered entitlement, “support husbands,” emotional safety, and the exhausting reality of always wondering when contempt might surface.What mutual aid looks like in everyday life (and why it’s not charity)Snowstorms, disability, aging, and who gets left behindThe invisible labor of care, organizing, and community-buildingWhy being seen matters as much as being paidEmotional labor, race, gender, and power dynamicsChecking privilege—and why it changes the roomSupportive partnerships vs. entitled masculinityWhy “I’d never do that” is a red flagCapitalism, commodification, and collective responsibilityHow acknowledgment can be an act of liberationResource:"Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)" by Dean Spade🎤 WE ARE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/NOTE: This episode was recorded before the murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Our hearts are with his family and we share your outrage about his murder. Abolish ICE.In this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky and Taina sit inside two overlapping kinds of grief: personal loss and collective unraveling. Becky names the heavy, destabilizing grief of watching U.S. power erode on the global stage—and what it means to confront the loss of privilege, safety, and certainty in real time. Taina shares the complicated aftermath of her mother’s death, including the anger, relief, and dissonance that come from being told a story about someone that doesn’t match your lived experience.Together, they explore grief as a political and embodied experience, the difference between healthy and harmful anger, and why being “aware” isn’t enough without guardrails, resourcing, and community. This episode is about naming the mess without rushing to fix it—and learning how to stay human when the world makes it very tempting not to.🧠 Discussed in This Episode• The grief of losing global privilege—and why it still matters even when privilege is complicated• Why awareness without action (or guardrails) can keep us stuck• Seasonal depression, political despair, and “who gives a shit” energy• Resource mapping as a tool for emotional regulation and capacity• Healthy anger vs. destructive anger—and why movements can’t survive on rage alone• Parenting, power dynamics, and what under-resourcing does to relationships• Complicated grief after the death of an abusive or estranged parent• The dissonance of hearing glowing stories about someone who harmed you• Relief as a valid response to death—and why that doesn’t mean you didn’t love them• Dehumanization, polarization, and the cost of refusing to seek understanding• Why systems benefit when we fight each other instead of looking up🎤 WE ARE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dig into the U.S. military action in Venezuela, and why calling it “surprising” misses the point entirely. What’s happening in Venezuela isn’t new. What is new is how little the U.S. is pretending anymore.Discussed in this episode:Why the U.S. arrest and removal of Venezuela’s leader is colonialism, not “law enforcement”How oil, capitalism, and empire are always the through-lineThe danger of pretending America is a neutral or moral global authorityWhy “how you do anything is how you do everything” applies to geopoliticsThe direct connection between capitalism, rape culture, and power grabsWhy nuance matters—and why refusing false binaries is not the same as defending dictatorsHow white discomfort gets mislabeled as “lack of safety”Why joking about colonization isn’t harmless (and what listening actually looks like)What it means to be able to critique U.S. actions without claiming expertise over other nationsRESOURCE: Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. EwingThey also wrestle in real time with fear, grief, learning out loud, and the possibility that America’s increasing global isolation may be both terrifying and inevitable.This conversation isn’t tidy. It’s not optimistic. But it is honest—and rooted in the belief that refusing empire starts with telling the truth about it.Next episode preview: Becky and Taina shift gears (a little) to talk about Sinners and One Battle After Another during awards season—with opinions they already know won’t be universally loved.🎤 WE'RE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/Our friend Nicole just dropped the trailer for her new podcast Just Rest — and we're SOOO excited! We’re both part of the Feminist Podcast Collective, and watching this show come to life has been such a joy. Just Rest is for people who care deeply, work hard, and are tired of being told burnout is just the price of caring.This podcast is all about rest as resistance, sustainable change, and staying human in a grind-obsessed world. It’s thoughtful, grounded, and deeply compassionate — the kind of show that feels like a long exhale.Give the trailer a listen, then rate & review if it resonates. It makes a huge difference for indie, values-driven podcasts.🎧 https://justrest.buzzsprout.com

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/Some days aren’t fixable. They aren’t mindset problems. They aren’t invitations to “reframe.” They’re just heavy, painful, vulnerable days—and pretending otherwise only makes them worse.In this episode, Becky and Taina talk honestly about what it looks like to live inside a bad day instead of trying to hustle your way out of it. From chronic pain and perimenopause to caregiving, grief, financial stress, and the impossible emotional math of deciding when it’s time to let go, this conversation holds the mess without trying to clean it up too fast.This is an episode about asking for help when it feels like failure. About how self-gaslighting drains more energy than rest ever could. About the quiet power of naming your limits—and letting them be real.If you’re feeling raw, overwhelmed, or stretched thin right now, this one’s for you.In this episode, we talk about:• Why some days can’t be “turned around” without doing more harm• Chronic pain, perimenopause, and the emotional toll of living in a body that hurts• The vulnerability hangover that comes after creating something meaningful• How comparison and money talk can activate shame—even in values-aligned spaces• Why asking for help can feel like failure, concession, or loss of power• Parenting, partnership, and the guilt of needing rest• Caregiving grief: loving someone (or a pet) while knowing the end is coming• The impossible responsibility of deciding when to say goodbye• Avoidance, coping, and why comfort isn’t the same thing as denial• Letting a day be bad—and why that can actually prevent a spiralIf today feels heavy, you’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone. Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is call it a bad day, ask for help, and let yourself rest without earning it.🎧 Messy Liberation is a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective, supporting independent, values-aligned shows and the people who make them. Learn more at: https://feministpodcasterscollective.com